Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Martial Race: The Sikhs Win the Anglo-Sikh war

Notes and Comments:

1) I’ve universally referred to the Indian rulers as ‘princes’. They had different titles depending upon their position, such as Rani, Sultan and Nawab.

What Really Happened: After the downfall of the Mughal empire, the Sikhs, under Ranjit Singh, were united into a powerful kingdom in the Punjab. After Ranjit Singh's death, the military set-up exploded and slowly the real power passed into the hands of the Khalsa army, which had 40,000 soldiers. This increased three-fold within five years of his death thus taking the large share of resources of the State. Unable to get their salaries, the soldiers got out of control and often interfered in political decisions. They formed their own panchayats and decided their own actions. The army assumed the role of "king-makers". The history of the Punjab in the years following the death of Ranjit Singh was thus the history of plots and counter plots, murders and assassinations, desertions and treachery -- all undermining the stability of the State.

With a succession of weak rulers, the empire degenerated until 1839, when Noanihal Singh became an able ruler. However, he soon died in an ‘accident’ and the army leaders, Dogras and the Sindhanwalias, took effective power, united by fear of the approaching British and the desire to keep all power in their own hands. Eventually, they installed a minor child, Dalip Singh, as king and Rani Jindhan as regent. All power remained with the army, which was large and modern, a far cry from the inferior Indian armies that the British had brushed aside. (With the exception of the Afghan war, which was a special case)

Desperate for real power, the Rani and others thought that if the powerful Sikh army was destroyed fighting against the English, they would find it easy to establish their power in the kingdom. The Sikh army took note of the British defeat in Afghanistan and concluded that they could repeat the Afghanis success. The new Governor-General, Lord Hardinge, took vigorous measures to strengthen the British's military position. He increased the army force to 32,000. 57 boats were brought from Bombay for making bridges over Sutlej. Special training was given to the soldiers. The British troops were fully equipped in the newly-conquered Sind for an attack on Multan. The Rani and other nobles committed outright treason and betrayed the army to the British, where it was largely destroyed and the Rani imposed as ruler with British supervision.

After the second Anglo-Sikh war, the Sikhs accepted British control and remained loyal to their new rulers during the general Indian rebellion of 1857-1858. The British rewarded the Sikhs by giving them preferential treatment in appointments to the British army and the civil service. Under the leadership of John and Henry Lawrence, the British government greatly transformed the Punjab.

What Might Have Happened: The Sikh army was modern, well equipped and outnumbered its foes, who were also at a disadvantage in the heat. The British morale was low because of the recent defeat in Afghanistan and part of the reason for allowing conflict to break out was to overcome morale problems. Events will follow OTL until the crucial point.

There is no doubt that the Sikhs were the aggressors in the war, regardless of what pressure the Governor-General of India, Sir Henry Hardinge, might have done to provoke the hostilities. On December 10^th, 1845, the Sikhs crossed the borderline river Sutlej near Firozpur. Hardinge began to gather his forces under the command of Sir Hugh Gough, one of the best British solders of the time, but a man who had many disagreements with his superiors. Gough ordered a forced march with the main British force, 11’000 men, 42 guns, to relive the British force in the theatre, 7’000 men, and then to carry the war to the Sikhs. The British force in the battle area expected to be overrun at any minute, but treachery on the part of the army commander prevented the Sikhs from pressing their advantage.

Meanwhile, Gough had driven his men 114 miles in five days and reached Mudki on 18^th December. Unfortunately, the Sikhs discovered the advancing British force and attack at once. After a brief, extremely vicious battle at midnight, the British were left in procession of the field, but with severely reduced supplies and heavy losses in men. Once reinforced, and the addition of Hardinge as second-in-command of the army, while in command of the political aspects of the campaign, the British advanced forward and attacked the Sikh camp. After another nearly-midnight battle, the British waited for dawn, not knowing if they had won or lost. In the morning, they discovered that they held the battlefield, but they were surrounded by Sikh forces, who promptly began to advance towards the British forces. All seemed lost.

Now comes the POD. The Sikh army leadership discovers the treachery of Tej Singh and takes action. They spend this time carefully warding against threats from the rear while they deal with the British, then they plan a reckoning with the Rani. This means that Tej Singh will not be able to give the fateful order that spared the nearly helpless British force, which had been denuded of its guns by a British officer maddened by the heat.

The Sikhs therefore overrun the British encampment and capture or kill most of the British force, around 17’000 strong. Worse, the Sikh Calvary was sent to discover why the British guns were being withdrawn and managed to capture most of them, although they won’t have much ammunition. The army’s prestige is far higher and they plan a reckoning with their royals. The Rani, a skilled manipulator, is able to convince them that Tej Singh was acting on his own[1], rather than as part of a cabal (which of course he was). Pretending to support the army, she ‘orders’ them to mop up the reminder of the British forces in the Punjab. This has the effect of keeping the army away from Lahore and causing trouble for the British.

News of the disaster slowly filters through to Calcutta. The British government of India is rendered headless by the death of Hardinge, while the company directors of the East India Company are mainly unused to action in a military sense. They act as quickly as possible by dispatching a request for reinforcements to London and gathering what forces they can from the garrisons scattered across India. At best, however, it would be 102 days before the ship can reach London, and at least 230 days before any reinforcements can arrive.

The British therefore have to construct, borrow or adapt an army from what is available in India and nearby. The temporally leadership manages to scrape up several thousand British troops (including some from the China station), marines and hire more Indian troops. However, they swiftly discover that withdrawing British troops from parts of India can lead to unrest. They also impose a naval blockade as best as they can, which strains resources still further, as some of the company directors have the idea that the French are going to take advantage of the chaos.

There is another factor that is important through; the princes. The British had allowed a number of Indian rulers to remain in power provided that they backed the British. Now, some of them, who resent British domination, see a chance for real power at last. In normal times, they could not pose much of a threat, but with British power and prestige significantly reduced they could cause real trouble. The princely forces, however, are a mixed bag. Some of them will be on nearly-equal terms with the British troops, while others, mainly the smaller princes, will be back in the iron age as far as the British are concerned. Many of the bigger ones, however, most notably the Mysore, Hyderbad, and Maratha rulers, have spared no expense to rearm like the British. This gave the British a few nasty moments in the later part of the century and the Mutiny displayed the danger of this policy. In 1947, for example, at least one of the princely states had a full division of tanks and a whole air force at the disposal of its ruler.

There is one final factor; discontent among the ‘warrior’ caste of Indian society. The British have cornered the market on warriors and this means, for the Indians, that serving the British (mainly in the Company’s army) is the only way to a honourable career. Unfortunately for them, this means serving in an army that limits the possible careers of Indians, while all the premier jobs go to Britons and British troops. There were a lot of ambitious Indians, who could not rise far enough to suit them, and this was a major factor in the mutiny.

The British begin gathering their forces together in Calcutta and near the war zone as an army of observation. The Rani pushes the Sikh army into attacking the British forces that are struggling to reassemble. The army leadership is cautious, but initial successes push them forward. The British, commanded by General Smith, fight a number of small, but furious battles across the lower Punjab and Rajputana, but, as superior numbers take their toll, the British general decides to retreat to Delhi. Calcutta is not pleased by this decision, but when they hear of it, its too late.

The Sikhs approach Delhi, forcing the population to either join them, join the British in Delhi, or get massacred. Many have not yet forgiven the British and therefore join the Sikhs and others try to hide and stay out of the conflict. The British are encircled in Delhi and the Sikhs try to take the city in a house-to-house fight. The British fight hard and throw them back out, as taking a city at close-quarter fighting is difficult. The Sikhs, meanwhile, have heard of the arrival of a relief column, and plan a trap for the British reinforcements and their supplies.

Now, we need to jump a month or so back in time and take a trip to Calcutta. The British forces have really done well at dragging up every man that can be spared. However, there is a cost as bandits, including the notorious ‘Thugs’, have sprung up across India. They force the British to spare forces to hunt them down or to help the princes to arm their forces so that they can do the job. Doubts about the loyalty of the princely forces make doing that difficult.

The British are in a downwards spiral. The weaker they appear in India, the more princes that will be tempted to join the Sikhs or even attempt to fight them themselves. Others see the chance to take revenge on the other religions and attack the smaller princes. As 1846 continues, the British find their rear-area security to be collapsing.

Not that it all goes the Sikh way. Despite a huge morale advantage, they lose the set-piece battle of Cawnpore (The British commander having decided to fight in an open field instead of accepting a state of siege) and the British are having advantages in supply and logistics. However, large areas of the nation that were under direct British rule have been occupied by various princes under various disguises. The British have complete control of the sea, however, and can supply garrisons on the coast without any problems.

Part of the British problem is that they don’t want to push too many princes into the Sikh/rebel camp. They can’t afford strong-arm measures and they can afford to be provocative. They are forced sometimes to ally themselves with different princes on a basis of no British control after the war has finished.

News of the disaster reaches London in February 1846. The Prime Minister, Robert Peel, is less than amused by the news (as is Victoria) and orders all available reinforcements to India. British forces begin to arrive in India by April, only to discover that British control has degenerated to the coastline. Constant suspicions of French involvement were never disproved and several sharp diplomatic notes were exchanged.

The war drags on into 1847. There are several princes who seek an accommodation with the British as their reinforcements arrive. They’ll effectively be like the nobles in the House of Lords in exchange for re-submitting themselves to British Rule. The Sikhs have also been attacking Muslims and therefore driving refugees eastwards across India. This further develops Hindu-Muslim feuds and the wiser princes know that they need a neutral force to prevent bloodshed. Many of the princes will also need British support, as they rule over people from the other religion.

Changes in British politics place the Earl Russell in the post of Prime Minister. With the full co-operation of Victoria, he begins to work on a peace plan. The Prince that submit themselves to Britain will become members of an Indian House of Lords, with limited power over Imperial policy. The princes that won’t will be destroyed by military force.

The Sikh military government, having killed the Rani and pretending to rule in the name of the prince (who’s about five at the time), eventually breaks up under pressure and the survivors attempt to negotiate with the British. The British are unforgiving, but finally accept a surrender in stead of a further war. The British control over India is re-established.

Short Term Consequences: The British work to integrate India, limit the powers of the princes and keep a stronger army in India. This means that the British will have more trained troops available for any war that breaks out. No Indian mutiny.

Medium Term Consequences: India becomes modernised sooner, with railways, communications and factories. It is therefore a much more important part of the empire and consequently has much more clout.

Longer term Consequences: India may gain independence as a united body or dominion status within the empire.

Thoughts?

[1] Which is pretty much what happened in OTL after the Sikh defeat.